Rotary engine.



PATBNTED MAR. 5, 1907.

W. A. o. PAPE. ROTARY ENGINE. APPLIoDrIoN FILED DE@ 15 isos 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

fancy@ r No. 845,973. PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907. f

W.- A. G. PAPE.

ROTARY ENGINE. -v APPLIOATION FILED 1730.15. '1906.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET'Z.

' No.'s45,973.

EATENEEEl MAE. 5, 1907.

W. A. d. PAPE. EOTAEY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 15, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' c. 1HE NaRRls PETERS co., wAsHlNGoN, D

WILLIAM A. O. PAPE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ROTARY ENGINEIl Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented. March 5, 1 907.

Application flied December l5, 1906. Serial No. 347.934.

To LZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WiLLIAM A. O. PAPE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a rotary engine in which the expansive fiuid is led between a reciprocating annular non-rotatable abutment having curved or cam edges and wings secured to the shaft on each sideof the abutment and having edges of a configuration to fit against the edges of the abutment, the wings being separated so as to form chambers on both sides of the abutment when it is centrally disposed between the wings, said chambers being alternately thrown to exhaust or pressure, whereby the movement of the abutment will expel the exhaust before a fresh charge is admitted.

Another object is to provide an engine with a plurality of high and low pressure chambers, the high-pressure chambers exhausting into the low-pressure chambers.

I accomplish these objects by the engine described herein and'illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view, with one-half of the casing removed, of my improved engine. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section with the casing in place thereon, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. Sis a transverse sectionftaken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectiontakenon line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a` plan view ofrny complete engine. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the rotating members. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the relation of the various admission andi exhaust ports of the engine.

It will be understood that my improved engine is made u'p of units and that each unit comprises an abutment and wings on each side thereof. In the drawings I have shown an engine composedl of two units, one being a high-pressure unit and the other a lowpressure unit, andv I will describe the saine with4 reference to such construction.

In the drawings, 10 is the outer cylindrical casing of my engine, ink which is revolubly mounted the driven shaft 11. At each end of the casing are the usual; stufng-boxes 12 to make a gas-tight ioint between the shaft andthe casing. Rigidly securedto the shaft within the casing'are the annular wings 13', 14,

and' 15. Between wings 13 and 14 is the reciprocating annular non-rotatable vabutment 16, which is provided with packing:- rings 17 toprovide a' gas-tight joint between the shaft and the abutment. Between wings 14 and 15 is a like abutment 18, provided with packing-rings 1Q; Both ends of each abutment are formed of undulatingl curves composed of an even number of alternating right and left sections of aI helix or variations of the same, and the ends of the wings fixed to the shaft are of a configuration to fit the faces of the abutment when brought in contact therewith. The curved faces of the ends of the abutment run in opposite directions-that is, a rightihelical section on one end of the abutment is opposed` by al left helical section on the opposite end of the abutment. Each abutmentv is provided with lugs 20, as shown in Fig. 4, which have a working fit in grooves 21 in thecasing,

thereof and with a like groove 27 on the" opposite side thereof. Re ulating-plates 28 are provided at the ends o these grooves to regulate the length of the same, so as to provide a greater or a less length of timefor the expansible fluid to pass into the wing, as hereafter explained. These plates are held in place by screws 29, which pass through elongated slots 30, which slots permit the plates to be moved longitudinally to make the opening from the inner side into the groove longer or shorter; In wing 14, adjacent to abutment 18, is an L-shaped channel 31, the inner end of which opens through the edge of the wing and is much broader than the outer end thereof. The shape of this channel is shown in full and dotted lines in Fig. 7, the outer end of the channel being marked 32 and the inner' end When the out'er end of this channel" is in register with either of the grooves 26 or 27", primary fluid-pressure orhigh pressure will pass through saidA channel, and the pressure thereof will be exerted between wing 14 and abutmentk 18A to drive abutment 18 against IOO wing 15. As soon as the abutment is in conbeing exerted on one side of the abutment it tact with wing 15 pressure will be exerted is exhausting on the other side, and as soon against the wing 14 to drive it in the direcas that side is exhausted completely the extion of arrowain Fig. 8, which will rotate the haust-channel is cut off and the pressureshaft in that direction, thereby carrying wing 15 with it and permitting the abutment to slide along the shaft. rIhis movement of the abutment permits the line of the expansive force of the iluid to travel the helical curve, whereby wing 14 is subjected to maximum primary pressure as long as pressure is admitted between said wing and abutment. The pressure of the abutment against wing 15 also has a tendency to drive wing 15 in the same direction, as the contacting faces are on an inclined plane to each other with the pressure directed at an angle to the line of movement of the wing and in the direction of arrow l). On the opposite side of the wing is a channel exactly like channel 81, (shown diagrammatically in Fig. 8 and marked 34,) which receives high-pressure iluid at the same time that channel 31 receives it, so that the same amount and quality of pressure is simultaneously applied to abutment 18 at opposite points. At the time that channel 31 commences to register with groove 26 the apices 35 and 36 of the wing have passed the apices 87 and 88 of the abutment, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 8, and fluid-chambers 39 and 40 are formed between the abutment and the wing, and the pressure of the fluid will be not only to drive abutment 18 longitudinally into contact with wing 15, but also to cause wing 14 to rotate the driven shaft in the direction of the arrow. It will be observed that there are also expansible fluid-chambers 41 and 42 formed on the other side of abutment 18, formed by the contact of that abutment with wing 15. A little before channel -31 receives pressure the chambers on the other side of abutment 18 are connected to exhaust through L-shaped channels in wing 15, which channels are shown diagrammatically in F ig. 8 and marked 48 and 44, which channels register with grooves 45 and 46. (Shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8.) These exhaust-grooves are preferably connected toether by a channel 55, which leads to and forms the supply of the low-pressure unit, which is similar in construction and operation to the high-pressure unit before described. Wing 14 is also provided with exhaust-channels 47 and 48, which register with grooves 49 and 50, (shown in dotted lines diagrammatically in Fig. 8,) which are connected up to the low-pressure unit in the same manner as the other exhaust is connected. Wing 14 is also provided with highpressure channels 51 and 52, which operate and are connected together in the same manner as the high-pressure channels of wing 14. It will be understood that wings 14 and 15 and abutment 18 form a unit of high-pressure power and that when high pressure is channel is connected to the source of supply, balance-wheel 58 carrying energy enough to bring the respective channels to pressure if there is only one unit. lf there are a plurality, the units are staggered in their shaft connections. The low-pressure units are constructed and operated in the same manner as the high-pressure units, except that the exhaust is connected to pipe 54, which leads to the open air or to a condenser. rlhe exhaust from the high and low pressure units is of the same form and operation except that from the low-pressure units the exhaust would be to pipe 54, which leads to the open air or a condenser, while the exhaust from the highpressure unit would be to channel 55. In F ig. 3 exhaust-groove 56 is connected to channel 57 and exhaust-groove 58 is connected to channel 59, and these two channels are connected to channel 60, which opens into pipe 54. The exhaust-grooves are provided also with regulating-plates 61, longitudinally movable on screws 62 to regulate the time that the exhaust-ports shall be in communication with the exhaust-grooves. The different channels and grooves in the casing are formed when the same is cast in the usual well-known manner. On the other end of shaft 11 is pulley 68, from which power may be taken by means of a belt 64, connected up to the driven machinery, (not shown,) or the shaft may be connected directly thereto. The form of the exhaust-channels in the wings is shown in Fig. 7, the outer end being marked 65 and the inner end 66, the dotted lines showing the connection between the two ends.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. A rotary engine comprising a reciproeating annular non-rotatable abutment provided with edges or ends formed by undulating curves composed of an even number of alternating right and left sections of a helix or variations of the same, the curved faces running in opposite directions, that is, a right helical section on one end of the abutment being oppositely disposed to a left helical section on the opposite end; a shaft on which said abutment is longitudinally movable; and wings on either side of said abutment having the edges or faces thereof of a coniiguration to fit the faces of the abutment, said wings being secured to the shaft in position to permit chambers to be formed on both sides of the abutment and having a plurality of channels therein; and a casing surrounding said abutment and wings provided with channels and ports arranged to alternately throw pressure into the chambers on one side of the abutment and to exhaust from IOO IZO

the chambers on the other side of the abutment7 and then to reverse the pressure and exhaust.

2. A rotary engine, comprising a reciproeating annular non-rotatable abutment provided with edges or ends formed by undulating curves composed of an even number of alternating right and left sections of a helix or variations of the same, a right section being opposed by a left section; a shaft on which said abutment is longitudinally movable; wings on either side of said abutment having the edges or faces of a configuration to fit the faces of the abutment, said wings being secured to the shaft in position to form chambers on both sides of the abutment and having a plurality of channels therein; a casing surrounding said abutment and wings provided with channels and ports arranged to alternately throw pressure into the chambers on one side of the abutment and to throw the chambers on the other side of the abutment to exhaust, then to reverse the pressure and exhaust; and means to vary the length of time that said chambers are thrown to pressure or exhaust.

3. A rotary engine, composed of a highpressure and a low-pressure unit, each unit comprising a reciprocating annular nonrotatable abutment provided with edges or ends formed by undulating curves composed of an even number of alternating right and left sections of a helix or variations of the same, a right section being opposed by a left section; wings on either side of said abutment having the edges or faces thereof of a configuration to fit the faces of the abutment; a shaft running through said wings and abutment, said wings having a plurality of channels therein and being secured to the shaft in position to form chambers on both sides of the abutment; and a casing surrounding said abutments and wings provided with channels and ports arranged to alternately throw pressure into the chambers on one side of the abutment and to exhaust from the chambers on the other side of the abutment and then to reverse the pressure and exhaust, the exhaust from the high-pressure unit being connected to pressure side of the low-pressure unit.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 21st day of November, 1906.

WILLIAM A. C. PAPE.

Witnesses:

G. E. HARPHAM, EDMUND A. STRAUSE. 

